Tom Deitz

Deitz died on April 27, 2009 of heart failure after having a heart attack in January of the same year.

Deitz died on Monday, April 27, 2009 of heart failure. He had a heart attack in January of that year and was a candidate to receive a ventricular assist device (VAD), but had suffered too much damage to his heart for the device to be implanted.

He was an assistant professor at Gainesville State College, where he was named faculty member of the year in 2008, and an adjunct professor at two other colleges. Deitz was awarded the Phoenix Award in 2007 for contributions toward Southern science fiction and fantasy fandom.

Deitz was an adjunct English faculty member at Gainesville State College, Lanier Tech, and Tri-County Community College, and received a tenure-track appointment as assistant professor in Fall 2008 at Gainesville State College. He was recognized as GSC's adjunct faculty member of the year in 2008.

Deitz won the Phoenix Award in 2007 for lifetime achievement in promoting Southern fandom. This award was given at the annual DeepSouthCon, a traveling convention in the southeastern United States. In 2007, it was held in Dickson, Tennessee as OutsideCon 20.

Deitz wrote the standalone fantasy novel, The Gryphon King (1989, Avon, ISBN 0380755068), which is set in the same universe as the David Sullivan series.

Thomas Franklin Deitz (January 17, 1952 – April 27, 2009) was an American fantasy novelist, professor, and artist from Georgia. He was best known for authoring the David Sullivan contemporary fantasy series, though he also authored three other fantasy series and a standalone novel set in the same universe as the David Sullivan series.

Thomas Franklin Deitz was born January 17, 1952 in North Carolina. He earned both a Bachelor and a Master of Arts in medieval English from the University of Georgia.